Overview
- The Kospi jumped about 17% on Friday as investors snapped up beaten-down AI-linked technology and memory stocks, producing huge intraday gains for Samsung and SK Hynix.
- Better-than-expected cloud and AI results from Microsoft and Amazon helped restore confidence that hyperscaler spending can translate into revenue, triggering the regional rebound.
- Samsung reported a massive rise in semiconductor profits, announced multi-year supply agreements with leading data‑centre firms and said memory shortages could persist into 2028.
- Apple beat June-quarter sales forecasts but warned that 'very significant' shortages of advanced chips and rising memory costs will limit device supply and weigh on near-term margins.
- The rally faces clear risks because Treasury yields rose to multiyear highs and Middle East tensions pushed oil prices up, and the market is shifting toward multi‑year contracts and upfront payments that reshape supplier and customer cash flow.